Anybody wants to change their career to healthcare field?

Hello All Interested Folks,

I was reading some of the posts here and I thought I would offer some advice (my 2 cents) to those interested.

My story is that I was an Engineer for a while and then decided to go to Medical School and get an MD. I came to U.S as a graduate student and then worked many years, got greencard, and decided to go to medical school.

What I am going to tell you is, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO. YOU LIVE ONLY ONCE, SO PURSUE YOUR DREAM.

Also, I would like to tell you that whatever you choose, it is not going to happen overnight. You have to have the staying power and whaterver you choose, you have to be committed/dedicated enough to deliver to yourself and the system (establishment).

There are times you realize that the situation/place you are in is not good, but you can change it.

HAVE A GOAL, MAKE PLANS, PERSEVERE.

READ INSPIRATIONAL, SELF HELP BOOKS.

IT is going to be a long haul, but enjoy the process. Live prudently, live within your means, do your duties.

Also, don't listen to people who say "It is going to take a long time, you are old"

No matter what you do you will get older. You can choose to get older while doing something you love, pursuing your dream (ANY DREAM), or you can simply get older, the choice is yours.

If anyone wants to know the real details/logistics of going into health care field (whether nursing, medical school or others), let me know and I will post some info.

Revathi

 

Hi Independentgirl,

If you really want to do something, you must gather information on that subject. Go out and meet people. I don't know where you are, but go to schools that are offering courses that you want to do, or go to library or go over the classified section of any newspaper and call the employers to find out what qualification they are looking for hiring in the jobs that you want to do.

Sometimes it is common sense, but you still need to get the accurate information. It is not enough to find out what is needed, you must first know that it will take time to get those qualification/skills. Things don't happen overnight.

Also, one must be adaptable, dynamic to be successful in life. Not everything will be to our liking, sometimes we have to accept some hostility, discrimination, hardships, challenges.

We must also be thankful to what we have. There is a difference between complaining and quitting, and knowing that if something is not to our liking, changing the circumstances and adapting to that environment until it is convenient for us to get out (biding one's time).

Whatever happens, one must be strong, be realistic.

 

Hi Rituja,

I did MD in U.S. I am sure that in Manipal and other private medical schools, they take mature students. If you are awaiting Greencard soon, you can try to complete premed/prerequisites for medical school, in the meantime.

Once you have greencard, then you can apply to medical schools. It is very difficult to get admission in American medical schools, as it is competitive and since Indians are overrepresented, high credentials are required to get in, but it is very doable.

I also know that there are medical schools in the Caribbean and there are Osteopathic schools. You can do research on the internet to find out more about things.

With the availability of internet, you can find out everything you need. I just googled Manipal medical college admission. There is a lot of info out there.

Good luck.

 

Thanks Kavya. It is important to keep reinventing ourselves. Especially as immigrants, we must show the world that Indians are second to none.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

RCB

 

Hi Swasha and Kavya,

In U.S, MD takes 4 years. The prerequisite is any undergraduate degree with 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry (read 2 college level courses), 2 semesters of General Chemistry, 2 semesters of Physics, 2 semesters of Biology. There is a requirement of 2 semesters of English composition also.

It is important to have very good grades in your previous coursework. You should show that you are really interested in service, by volunteering in community service, hospital. You should get good recommendation letters. You must shadow a doctor to see what a doctor does and also you should get that doctor to write you a good recommendation letter.

Most important of all, you need to do MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). The MCAT requires a lot of preparation to do well.

Please go to www.aamc.org to find out how to get into medical school and what it costs. The cost depends on whether the school is private or state and whether you are a state resident.

If you are a permanent resident or citizen, you can borrow money from federal gov.

You can visit discussion forums on www.studentdoctor.net and find out what are the issues for medical school admission/application and beyond.

If you have any other questions, send me a private email, and I will give you more details.

If you are really interested, you should go and meet the premed advisor in a nearby university/community college and also the nearby medical school dean for admissions to find out more about the timeline, prereqs, typical MCAT scores of students admitted.

RCB